Cat and Mouse
by Cuna999
Summary: AMUTO// A sexy, mischievous prince who refuses to be married. A beautiful, mysterious thief whose true identity is unknown. A fated, simple meeting in the castle. And then, a game of cat and mouse...
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Hmmm…a Shugo Chara _chaptered_ story this time?

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**Day One.**

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"M-My Queen…I sincerely apologize…the moonlit diamond has been stolen…"

The elegant woman in her beautiful clothes merely shrugged.

"It was of no importance. It was quite a nuisance actually, and I am truthfully glad it is no longer in my palace."

The servant bowed and left the throne room.

The prince, standing outside the doors, listened to his parents' conversation.

"Ikuto is coming of age. We must find a proper bride for him soon." His mother said, sighing.

"That is a task that will prove difficult. He shows no interest in women." His father replied.

"Such a troublesome son, honestly. He's never anywhere else aside from his room."

"Then arrange a marriage."

"I will have to, if he doesn't show any interest in someone within the rest of the year."

Tired of hearing of love and marriages and anything prince-related, he returned to his room, his only place of peace.

Slipping out of his own elaborate robes, silk shirts and pants, he changed into a more…commoner-looking outfit; a black collared shirt with silver crosses and blue lining and black pants with two straps on each leg.

"Yoru."

"I'm here, nya…"

The prince's cat shugo chara floated to its owner from the bed, rubbing its eyes sleepily.

Ikuto was already slipping on a black wig and sunglasses to hide is midnight blue hair and eyes, as well as some black shoes. Too much black probably, but it was a color that would help him blend into the night.

"Are we going to get some taiyaki, nya?!" Yoru said excitedly, for taiyaki was a 'commoner's food' that his parents would never allow him to eat. Though truthfully, they probably didn't know it even existed.

"Why not."

Yoru cheered, and they both slipped out the window and into the darkness.

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During these walks he took, he had discovered things about his kingdom he had never known before.

He lived in the palace, full of everything he needed and wanted. Areas of what his parents ruled, however, had nearly nothing. Poverty.

Dropping by the taiyaki stand as always when he went out, the man who owned the stand smiled in recognition.

"Heya, come to visit, eh? How many will it be today?"

"Four," Ikuto told him, handing him the money. "Chocolate filled."

"Yannow, I've noticed ya seem kinda wealthy, so I'll tell ya that ya shouldn't be hangin' round these parts. Theives, yannow."

Ikuto shrugged. "I wander. I'm a stray cat on the inside, after all."

The taiyaki man laughed. "Then I'll assume you're good at escapin', too."

The prince didn't respond, and the man laughed again, working to make the pastry.

As Ikuto waited, he looked around. Obviously, no one recognized him because of his disguise. In addition, a filthy rich prince would have no business in a run-down place like this.

"The town's been doin' better recen'ly." The taiyaki man told him.

"Really? Better business?" the prince asked, not too curious.

"Nah. Folks who've money to act'lly spend spend it on other things than what we sell here. It's tha girl thief."

"Thief?" the prince was interested now.

"Yah. Steals from the palace, I hear. Bloody 'mazin' at wot she does. Girlie's never been caught."

Ikuto inwardly smiled, thinking of all the things that had been stolen from his parents, but had been dubbed worthless or useless to them.

"Modest girl, tho'," the taiyaki man continued. " 'Parently only steals the stuff the king'n'queen don't want or need. Kindhearted, really." He handed Ikuto a brown paper bag. "Here ya go, four fresh chocolate-filled taiyaki."

Taking the bag, Ikuto placed coin on the counter. "Thanks, pops. I learned something interesting today. Consider it tip for the taiyaki." He started walking.

The man laughed and called after him, "Name's Gen Takehashi!"

Ikuto merely waved with the back of his hand as he disappeared into the night.

Gen took a cloth and wiped the counter down, and picked up the coin his last customer for the night had given him. He had almost forgotten about it. Tips were rare, and usually ranged from a 50 yen coin or 100 yen.

However, this mysterious person who visited rarely had given him a 10,000 yen coin. That was way more than what he could made in two months, or even longer.

Sighing, he tucked the coin away. Ikuto was too far away already for him to chase, and it _was_ purposely given to him. Smiling and chuckling, he muttered a light insult. "Filthy rich brat. Who is he, the prince?" Laughing at his own joke, he closed down the stand for today.

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"Ikuto!!" his mother screeched when she saw him in his 'commoner's clothes', eating 'commoner's food'. "Where have you been sneaking off to?!"

"Wherever I please. Isn't that was princes do, mother?"

His response was sarcastic and he made his way to his room easily in the black clothes instead of the colorful, layered elaborate ones that gave him a more princely appearance. The Queen had trouble moving as quick as he could with all her petticoats and layers and whatever else she wore, and thus was unable to catch her son before he slipped back into his room and locked the door.

"Shit."

He heard someone curse, and it was obviously not Yoru or himself.

Turning around, a girl clad in a black suit seemed to be in the process of escaping out his window. She had long, black hair and liquid honey-gold eyes…

She jumped and fled before he could say anything.

A few minutes after her escape, he smirked too himself.

She would be back. He was sure of it. That girl thief, huh?

_Girlie's never been caught, _He remembered Gen saying.

Chuckling to himself, his midnight blue eyes showed mischief.

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_And so a mouse found its way_

_Into the home of a cat._

_Thus,_

_Let of the game of Cat and Mouse…_

_Begin._

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**Writer's End Notes: **I had originally planned to make it a one shot….but I got lazy and it'd be one hell of a long oneshot to fit everything I wanted into it…D:

Ah, well, first Shugo Chara chaptered story. First time for everything, right? 8D

Oh, and taiyaki is that fish-pastry thing, right? The one filled with an or chocolate or something? Please correct me if I'm wrong...^^;;


	2. Chapter 2

**Writer's Notes: **Thanks for all the kind reviews everyone~! :D  
**  
Anonymous ('Me')** : Oops, I didn't realize that someone already had the title. xP  
I'll change it if I have another idea for the title, but the whole story kind of revolves around the phrase 'Cat and Mouse'. D: The fanfic was inspired by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus's song 'Cat and Mouse', so…D:

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**Day Two.**

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It had been about two weeks since that girl appeared.

Ikuto had predicted that the girl would appear again, and his confidence did not waver. It wasn't like her thievery had patterns, but today, he had a feeling he would be seeing her very soon…

The moon was bright tonight, and he lay on his bed, reading a book, Yoru munching a crepe at his side.

"Ack, bad luck."

Bingo.

Smirking, Ikuto put down his book and turned his attention to the door. Standing there was the girl from two weeks ago, the golden-eyed, black haired thief.

"Inexperienced, aren't you? Shouldn't you try to remember where you've been and haven't been?" he told her, amused.

"Well, this is a palace, after all. I haven't lived here all my life, and I'm still young. I have other things more important to remember," the thief said. "Today's bad luck. Maybe the cards will be dealt differently next time."

"Hmmm," Ikuto stared at her, the smirk still on his lips, "Well, they do say black cats are bad luck."

"Well, that's just a superstition, isn't it?" The girl smirked back, seating herself on the chair at the prince's desk.

"We should go~" A voice said.

"Oh? You have a guardian character, as well?" Ikuto said, slightly interested.

Smiling, the girl held up four fingers, and four characters appeared around her. A red heart, a blue spade, a green clover, and yellow diamond.

"You know~ He's rather nice, if he hasn't called the guards yet, desu~" the green one said, her large green eyes full of innocence.

"He won't," the golden-eyed girl said airily. "My presence here is amusing for him."

"_Amu-chan," _said the blue one sternly, and she sighed.

"Alright, Miki, I'm going."

Ikuto stood by the window, blocking the girl's escape, looking bored.

"Sorry, kitty, but I can't play with you today…"

"But _Amu_, I'm _so_ bored."

Ikuto had always thought he had extraordinary reflexes (he had a cat as a guardian character after all) but the girl had somehow slipped past him and was standing on his balcony.

"You know, I've only just met you. An honorific would be preferred." She told him, barely visible in the night with her black clothes and hair.

"I'm a prince. Other people's preferences don't matter to me," Ikuto told her, shrugging.

"What a self-centered prince. You should know better than anyone else in this palace what goes on in the rest of your kingdom!!"

She was suddenly furious, that much was obvious. Why she cared so much about the kingdom, he didn't know.

"I never said I didn't care about my people."

"You only started to realize when you started sneaking out. Don't forget that you live bathing in gold and jewels because of your people."

Something sparkled brilliantly in the dark, catching the faint light escaping from the prince's room.

"I'll be taking this."

Ikuto stepped forward, and she was gone. She and her four characters left not even the tiniest hint that they were there. The night was silent.

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"Pwahhh, that bath felt good~" Amu sighed, falling onto her bed.

"Good work today!!" the pink heart character yelled loudly, flailing her pom-poms around.

"Thanks, Ran. Good work, also. Your character changes have saved me millions of times."

The blue spade, green clover and yellow diamond coughed lightly.

"N-Not to mention Miki's fabulous disguises, Su's cooking and cleaning talents so I can act as a maid, and Dia's bright distractions!"

The three smiled in satisfaction.

"The Tsukiyomi Palace certainly has a lot of these large trinkets…" Miki murmured as she floated over to today's stolen item, a thick gold necklace with a baseball sized diamond hanging from it. Sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and several other jewels surrounded it, a thin wire of gold holding them in place with an elaborate design.

"They're so brilliant," Dia commented, shielding her eyes from the sparkle. "And gaudy. I'm not surprised the Queen would rather have it out of her palace."

Amu sighed as she sat up and dried her hair. The black wig hung in her closet, the golden-eyed girl's medium length, cotton-candy pink colored hair exposed without it.

"Either way, it's worth quite a lot."

For a while, no one said anything, and Amu grabbed herself a bottle of milk in the meantime.

"…He was quite artistic." Miki said, sketching something.

"Who?" Ran asked, floating over to her guardian sister.

"The prince." Dia answered for the blue spade. "He had a certain sparkle to him, too. It's dim and needs some polishing, but his sparkle is there."

Amu sat on her bed again, sipping her milk after gulping large quantities of it before.

"…The King and Queen of the Dumpty Kingdom aren't bad rulers, but they can do better. The areas of poverty—the royalty have more than enough money and provisions to spend on it to make it a better place. They're either blind to their own kingdom, or they just chose not to evolve it."

Pausing, the pink-haired girl swirled the contents of the milk bottle.

"…However, the Prince…it's possible. The Dumpty Kingdom cannot fall like the Humpty Kingdom did. Everything will be ruined if the both of the most important kingdoms are lost. Everything…the Guardian World needs to change."

"Amu-chan…" Su whispered, a hint of sadness tinting her voice.

Smiling, Amu finished her milk. "It's alright. We're working hard. 'Do not let the Dumpty Kingdom fall.' And we won't."

Miki smiled also as she sketched something. "That's right. Your grandparents made a grave mistake, but Tsumugu and Midori are working hard to reverse it."

"And soon, we will stand strong again…" Dia murmured, her eyes closed and her mouth curled into a small smile of her own. "Everything will be whole..."

"Go, go Amu-chan! Fight, win, Tsumugu-papa! Go, go Midori-mama!" Ran cheered enthusiastically.

"We'll have a big party after everything, desu!" Su said cheerfully.

Amu's smile grew larger at the sight of her optimistic characters, but it faltered a little.

"…I wish I could help them," she whispered. "If only…"

Dia shook her head.

"Your responsibilities are different right now. Ami and evolving the Dumpty Kingdom are your priorities. Tsumugu and Midori sent you here so that both you and your sister could stay out of danger."

"They're strong," Ran added. "Don't worry."

"It's like a group mission, desu~" Su said. "Tsumugu-papa and Midori-mama will evolve the other side, while you evolve this side~"

Amu's smile regained its strength. "Thanks."

"Ohh? Amu-chan's not stubborn for once~" Ran teased, floating in circles around her owner's head.

Swatting at her character, Amu's voice rose to a loud volume. "RAN! And it's not like I'm always stubborn!"

"See, you're so stubborn that you don't want to admit it!" The heart character laughed, dodging her owner's fists.

"GRR!! I'M NOT—"

"Onee-chan?"

A small voice diminished the loud scene. The door was opened a crack, and a small girl with curly, light orange-brown hair rubbed her eyes.

"Ami? Sorry, did I wake you?"

Amu hurried towards her little sister and picked her up.

"No…I'm scared…I don't want to sleep in my room tonight…"

Smiling gently, Amu carried Ami to her own bed. "You want to sleep with onee-chan tonight, then?"

Ami mumbled a sleepy 'yes', already half-asleep in her older sister's arms.

The pink-haired girl tucked n her younger sister, then turned off the lights as she crawled into bed herself. Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia entered their eggs and went to sleep as well.

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_The second round_

_Of Cat and Mouse:_

_The Cat has failed,_

_And the Mouse has escaped._

_Not much longer…_

_And this game will end._

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**Writer's End Notes: **Ehh, kind of a boring chapter.

By the way, Amu's parents were the one who told her not to let the Dumpty Kingdom fall.

Haha, The Humpty and Dumpty Kingdom sounds kinda funny. xD

But anyway, I'm really trying to keep Amu's background vague. Although someone always predicts the outcome and is right. D:

This isn't probably isn't going to be a very long fanfic, and Amu's past will be revealed at the end. By the way, since it's not going to be very long, it's not going to be very…action-packed and dramatic, either. xP

Not too much of a plot, basically. -sweatdrop-

Just something I'm writing for fun. A pointless fanfic, I suppose? –sweatdrop again-


	3. Chapter 3

**Writer's Notes: **Writer's block sucks. School sucks. Homework sucks. GRAH! So stressful! D;

I'M ON SPRING BREAK YET I HAVE A SHITLOAD OF PROJECTS TO DO! WTF! TO HELL WITH 'BREAK'!

-sighs- Okay, I'm done ranting.

Did I mention Ikuto is 17 here? Then again isn't he 17 anyways…? Aaand…let's make Amu 15. :3

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Ikuto eyed his surrounding as he waited for his taiyaki to be done. The place seemed much less shabby.

"Something happened?" Ikuto asked Gen casually, watching children chase each other with glee.

The man grinned, obviously extremely happy. "Not jus' this place, sonny. 'Ole kingdom's gettin' better. The towns the king n' queen have ignored for years now have been shapin' up 'normously. Tha' girl thief again. Bloody 'mazin', I tell ya."

Smiling lightly, the prince closed his eyes. "The girl thief, huh?"

"Tha's right. The king n' queen aren't bad rulers, but they need ta shape up. It's been six years a'ready." The taiyaki maker shook her head as he worked on the last pastry.

"Six years…?"

"Gen!! Hurry up! It's past closing time already, we need ta hurry if we wanna get a good spot!" a stranger called, and Gen laughed heartily.

"I'll be there! Woul'n miss it for the world!"

He handed the prince his chocolate-filled taiyaki. "Cel'bration party. Looks like ev'one's hard work paid off in the end, eeh? Finally, ev'thing's changin' fer tha better…"

"…What do you mean?" Ikuto asked, slightly suspicious.

"I don' know the details…bu' six years ago, when the Humpy Kingdom was reduced to ashes, I 'eard the king n' queen were devastated. Dunno why, always thou' kingdoms were always at war wit each other fer territory."

_The Humpty Kingdom…_the name sounded vaguely familiar. Truthfully, he didn't know much about his own kingdom. Since he didn't attend school, (he was a prince afterall) normally a tutor would come to the castle to teach him. He was extremely stubborn, however, especially when he was young, and all the male or elderly tutors eventually got fed up with him and quit. Younger female tutors were just too giggly over him to teach him anything.

He was brilliant at everything else except the history of his own kingdom. Ikuto just didn't really see much point to know it…until now. The Dumpty Kingdom's relationship with the Humpty Kingdom six years ago…he'd be eleven then.

"Anyway, gotta close up now. 'Njoy yer taiyaki."

Ikuto placed another coin and walked, inwardly smiling. "Thanks for the information and the fish, Gen."

Another 10,000 yen coin.

Well, he could spend it on some more food and other things for the celebration party…

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"Taiyaki, huh. So you like chocolate?"

He eyes widened a bit as he flipped on the lights. The girl sat in the middle of his bed, reading a book as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

The only thing wrong with the picture was that she had bandages over her arms and a few band-aids on her legs, and one on her face.

Ikuto narrowed his eyes a little before sitting on the edge of his bed.

"…What happened?"

"I _am_ a thief…people do hunt me down, you know…" she set down her book and sat up.

"Hmmm…have the palace guards done anything?"

"Nope…your castle is too easy. Mostly by other violent thieves who want to capture me and threaten me so I can steal for them. They can't even be considered as thieves…couldn't steal candy from a baby."

Wordlessly, the prince handed Amu a pastry, and she slowly nibbled at it.

An awkward silence fell over them.

"The Humpty Kingdom…"

"What?"

"Something I heard from Gen…taiyaki seller. Know anything?"

"Um…the kingdom that fell six years ago, right? The Humpty Kingdom and Dumpty Kingdom used to work together, and were basically a world of their own. Before the Humpty Kingdom fell, I think the Kings and Queens just considered themselves as one, since it was really…almost impossible for one to function without the other."

Amu paused, chewing some taiyaki before straining to remember.

"Sorry, I can't tell you much…but your mother and father have done an amazing job ruling the kingdom after that incident."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, although several of the smaller towns are in bad shape, the main cities are doing extremely well, which is keeping the economy running. And they've kept it running like this for six years, if it were anyone else the kingdom would have fallen right after the Humpty Kingdom did. Although they could have done something about the areas of poverty…they have more than enough supplies and money to shape up it up."

"You seem to know…a lot about my kingdom."

Amu smirked lightly, finishing off her pastry. "You're just stupid."

The prince smirked back. "But you were wrong about one thing."

"Oh? And that is?"

"That we have more than enough money to spend. The large cities are doing well because we're supplying them with money, and it's not cheap. Plus after the Humpty Kingdom fell, several areas of the Dumpty Kingdom were crushed, so we spent a lot of money on repairs."

"Hmmm….I thought you didn't know much about your own Kingdom?"

"Wha—How did you know that?"

"Well, let's just say I overheard your parents talking…something about Ikuto needing to act more responsible and learn about his duties when he becomes king? As a boy he never listened to anyone when they tried teaching him about his own kingdom…"

Raising an eyebrow, she chuckled. "Stubborn, were you?"

"Eavesdropping is a bad habit."

"Hypocrite."

Amu lay down again, curling up in sort of a half-ball.

"Sleepy…"

"Hey…"

Ikuto leaned down and nibbled her ear, whispering.

"If you sleep here, I might do something to you…"

"You won't…because…I trust you…"

Blinking, the prince sighed and stared at her sleeping face. She was too innocent; he _couldn't_ do anything to her.

He picked up the book she had been reading and opened it, managing a few pages before he himself fell asleep.

"If Tsumugu-papa knew she slept with a boy…" Suu whispered to her sisters, her big green eyes wide.

"He'd go beserk!" Ran laughed.

"Shhh!" Dia and Miki said together, so the two wouldn't wake up. Yoru was out cold in his egg on the desk, and Amu's fours characters slipped into their own eggs as well.

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The next morning, she was gone. It was rather early, the sun barely up yet.

The place where the thief had slept was cold, so Ikuto assumed she left quite a bit ago. Yoru was still snoring in his egg, and the prince yawned and fell back asleep.

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"I can't believe I just felt asleep there like that," Amu groaned as she slipped into her own bed at home, removing her wig and putting on pajamas. "Thank god Ami went to sleep early that night…"

"If Tsumugu-papa found out you slept with a boy…!" Suu told Amu, her big green eyes wide and innocent like the night before.

"He'd go beserk!" Ran repeated, laughing again.

"Ergh, It was a mistake, I know, okay?" Amu groaned, slipping under her blankets. "Don't tell him, please," she added worriedly.

"You know he can't see us," Miki told her, sketching.

"But he can hear you if you get close enough and loud enough," Amu reminded them. "So…please?"

"Even if you say that, Ran is such a loudmouth…something might slip…" Dia sighed, and Ran pouted.

"I am not!"

"All you do is cheer…"

"Do not! I'm useful, too!"

"I didn't mean it that way…"

At that moment, Amu's cell phone rang, the cute ringtone playing as the owner rolled over tiredly.

"Hello?" She mumbled.

"Hi, Amu dear. The preparations have been complete…we'll be returning very soon!"

"Mama!" The pink-haired girl gasped, clutching the phone tighter. "Really?! When?!"

"Papa assumes tomorrow morning, if all goes well. We're on a train right now," Midori responded. "Is Ami sleeping?"

"That's great! And yeah, Ami's in her room right now. She's still sleeping," Amu avoided hinting or revealing that she had spent the night at Prince Ikuto's room.

"That's good," the mother said, "We hope you've been well. We'll see you tomorrow, then, honey."

"Mmmhm, have a safe trip!" Amu said, and snapped her phone shut.

Turning and grinning widely at her characters, she announced, "It's done. Preparations are complete and Mama and Papa will be returning tomorrow. Our job is done."

"Done, huh? It'll be a bit odd, returning to normal life…" Dia murmured.

Amu held up her wig and black costume, looking at them for a minute.

"…I think I might miss these. Those adventures were fun."

"Well, keep them," Ran laughed.

"You never know when you might need them, desu~!" Suu said.

"And I could always design you a new one," Miki added.

Smiling, Amu packed them into a cardboard box.

"And this room…we'll be moving back, as well…"

Turning back to the cardboard box containing the wig and costume, she smiled a little sadly.

"…See you," She said, and folded down the flaps, closing the box.

-

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_Is this it?_

_In this third round,_

_The cat is home, and the mouse,_

_The mouse is escaping…_

_Hurry, you feline,_

_Perhaps if you act, _

_The mouse may still be caught._

_But if you delay…_

_Chances of catching the mouse_

_Dwindle…_

_-_

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_-_

**Ending Notes: **Uh, yeah…I realized this fanfic has like a million holes.

-FAIL-

But yeah…it's something I just kinda pulled out of my butt, so…

I was too lazy to check this chapter over, so mistakes were probably everywhere. xP

Next chapter is probably going to be the last chapter. It's going to take forever tho, since I'm so damn lazy. And the fact fanfiction ideas aren't exactly coming to me like they used to. D:

-FAILS AGAIN-

Sorry guys. D:


	4. Chapter 4

**Writer's Notes: **Woohoo, last chapter. Wow, pretty short, hm?

Probably because it's a plotless fanfic…

I'm too transparent, people have already predicted correct on what's going to happen~ D:

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"Papa! Mama!" Ami squealed, and jumped into her mother's arms.

Amu smiled as she took in her mother's dark brown hair and golden eyes, and her father's light brown hair and golden eyes.

For a second she wondered how in the world she got pink hair. Must've been a recessive gene, hm…

"Welcome back, Mama, Papa," Amu greeted warmly, as she moved forward for a hug.

"Thank you Amu dear, you've done well all by yourself," Midori said, as she embraced her daughter.

"My little sparrow is growing up!!" Tsumugu cried, hugging Amu as well.

"So, what did you think of the prince?" Midori asked she released her daughter, although her husband was little crying in the background.

"Mmm…he's grown on me," the pink-haired girl admitted.

Laughing, the mother picked up a few boxes.

"That's good. Unfortunately, we have a lot of work to do which you'll have to take part in…"

"I know. I won't be able to see him."

"Sorry, Amu dear."

-

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_And is this the end,_

_Of Cat and Mouse?_

_The cat is growing hungry,_

_But it is not his stomach that is empty,_

_It is his heart,_

_That is growing lonely…_

_Too late,_

_Should have run faster, _

_To catch the mouse…_

_-_

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_-_

"Ikuto! You need to shape up, you can't be this irresponsible, sneaking out every night after you get married!" The Queen said, irritated at her son.

"I told you I didn't want to get married, Mother," Ikuto hissed, aggravated as well.

"You have no choice," his mother snapped. "We told you that if you did not find a suitable wife, we would arrange the marriage for you. The time is nearing, Ikuto, you will be 18 soon. And have I been introduced to a suitable princess yet? No."

The prince glared at his mother.

"I _have _found a suitable girl, mother."

"Oh, then where is she?"

"…I have not seen her for some time."

"Then she must not fancy you as you do her. And I heard the word girl, Ikuto. I want a princess, not a girl. Royalty must marry royalty, not commoners. You have never taken a liking to any of the commoner girl anyway, why change that?"

The two glared at each other until the blue-haired prince stormed off to his room.

"Ikuto!" His mother yelled, but he ignored her and slammed the door, throwing himself onto his bed.

"Ikuto, nya?" Yoru asked, worried.

"It's nothing," his owner replied, his irritation melting.

Two months had passed since the girl last visited him. Why hadn't she come recently? He assumed that she would have stolen something by now.

During his late-night taiyaki adventures, he had heard from Gen that the girl had not been appearing recently, either. No one knew what happened to her; perhaps it was because the shabbier towns had shaped up enough. Or perhaps she was caught, or went to another kingdom, or perhaps gave up being a thief altogether.

Ikuto had never really thought that she was disappear like that. He liked her, that was for sure, and perhaps blinded by his own feelings, he thought she liked him too.

He was always a lone wolf. The stuck-up, haughty princesses from other kingdoms made him yawn, talking about nothing except their clothing and bragging about their riches. He did not particularly mind marrying a 'commoner', but most would probably marry him only for his riches or looks, and not understand him. Finding a commoner who did would be rare, and he did not want to go through all that trouble.

And plus, Amu had grown on him. He liked her, and finding someone else would be like replacing her, which could not be done. She was pretty, she was clever, and she understood him and was not swayed by his sarcastic remarks or his handsome looks. She talked to him like everyone else, not sucking up to him because he was the prince.

He was lonely, perhaps we could say.

He thought he had finally found that someone special, but in the end, she left him, taking his heart with her.

Yes, she was certainly a good thief.

"_Girlie's never been caught."_

Yes, certainly, he couldn't even catch her when she stole his heart.

-

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"Amu, you look gorgeous, stop fussing with your hair."

"But it's been so long…I'm not used to it, it looks weird…"

"It looks _fine_, Amu dear. Let me do your makeup, and then we'll leave. We definitely can't be late for this."

"This is going to be so embarrassing…"

"It'll be _fine_." Midori repeated yet again. "You said so yourself, didn't you? That—"

"NOOOO, MAMA STOP! It's so embarrassing! Don't say things like those out loud!"

Giggling, the mother applied some eyeshadow and lipgloss, and stepped back to observe her work. She studied her daughter for a few moments, then stepped forwards again to apply some finishing touches.

"Mama…" Amu said uncertainly, "…Do you really think this will work out? It's been so long…"

A noise sounded from downstairs, Tsumugu tripping over something.

"…angry?"

Sighing, Midori repeated the words for the third time. "It. Will. Be. _Fine_. You need to stop freaking yourself out. Alright, we're ready."

Amu gasped, both from nerves and her image in the mirror.

"Mama…is…?"

Smiling, Midori observed her daughter and admired her own work.

"Of course. Now, let's go."

-

-

-

"And this is Princess Hana Kuruzumi, from the Flower Kingdom," said their butler, introducing the princesses from different kingdoms. "She likes all flowers, though Sakura trees are her favorite."

"Huh." Ikuto showed no interest, staring out the window. Today was a nice day, it made him feel sleepy…

"And lastly, this is Princess Yuki Kanao, from the Snow Kingdom. She like fluffy things and animals, especially rabbits."

"Sure…"

As soon as the blue-haired girl left, looking rather dejected, the Queen stood.

"Ikuto. You must now choose a Princess."

"None of them interest me. Don't you see they're all ready to suck it up? I'd rather someone who would actually talk to me instead of having someone else prettying their words up for them."

"Ikuto—"

"HOOOOOOOOLD IT, WAIT A SECOND~ YOU'RE FOREGETING SOMEONE HEEEEEERE!" A voice rang out, extremely loud and clear.

The butler looked confused, and so did the King and Queen. There were supposed to be exactly sixty-four introductions, not sixty-five. Who in the world was this?

The large mahogany door flew open with a bang.

"Osu, How've you been, Souko, Aruto?"

The prince heard his mother gasp, and he broke his eye contact away from the window, glancing at the two people in front of him. A slim, brown-haired woman wearing an elaborate cream-colored dress, and a man with lighter brown hair wearing fancy blue colored robes.

Hm, never seen them before, didn't know who they were, didn't care. They didn't look all too special.

"Midori?! Tsumugu?!" The queen shrieked, disbelief in her voice.

"In the flesh," Midori announced, holding out her arms, in which Souko threw herself into.

"Oh my God, oh my God!!!"

The prince heard his mother shriek continuously, happiness evident in her voice. Soon, she started sobbing, her words incoherent.

Weird. He never saw his mother break down like that, like a little girl.

"Tsumugu!!"

"Aruto! Long time no see, hm? Still playing that violin of yours?"

"Of course, still taking those photos of scenery and your daughters?"

"…That kinda sounds like I'm a stalker or something of my own children…but yeah, I am!"

The two men laughed, linking arms in greeting.

"Where the hell have you been?" Aruto asked curiously, "We haven't seen you in six years…"

_Six years…? _Ikuto thought, still refusing to break his eye contact from the window. Wasn't that when the Humpty Kingdom fell?

"Rebuilding our Kingdom of course. And we're done, so we decided to come back. Oh, and if you want to permanently merge our two kingdoms together…we can seal it with marriage…"

Tolerance finally breaking, Ikuto stood up, furious.

"Is marriage all you think about?! What about me, I don't _want_ to get married. None of the candidates interest me—" He shouted, and the adults blinked at him before Midori cut the prince off.

"But you haven't met the last candidate," she said, smiling.

"That doesn't matter. There is…_was_ only one girl who I liked, and she is long gone." The prince snapped angrily.

"How do you know she isn't royalty?" Tsumugu asked, smiling as well.

Ikuto was getting more and more irritated, why were these strangers smiling at him like a stupid little boy?

"Because she was a thief."

"Hey, hey, that doesn't mean she wasn't royalty," Tsumugu said.

"She didn't talk like royalty, dressed in it, nor showed any attitude that royalty would hold," the prince replied, still irritated.

"Hey, that hurts you know. Just because I'm not spoiled, talk and act all haughty and done laugh like 'oh ho ho ho!' doesn't mean I'm not royalty," a female voice cut in.

_That voice…_the midnight-haired prince turned, eyes wide.

"Don't jump to conclusions, you know? You only knew my name, and nothing else."

The girl stepped forward, and she smirked at him.

"Sorry I'm not royal enough for you, Ikuto."

She looked absolutely stunning in her dress, red and white, embroidered with some gold and decorated with lace and bows. Light makeup highlighted her face, her medium-length, bubblegum pink hair hanging in ringlets with a small tiara atop her head.

"…What happened to your hair?" He questioned. It was sort of off topic, but…

"Well," Amu said, fixing a ringlet, "Pink is my natural hair color. But as I worked as a thief, this color is really noticeable, so I put a wig over it. And someone might recognize me."

"Ahhh," Souko said, "So you're the mysterious girl thief who's been shaping up the shabbier parts of our Kingdom."

Smiling, the pink-haired girl curtsied.

"Yes. Princess Amu Hinamori from the Humpty Kingdom, at your service. I like strawberries."

Raising an eyebrow, Ikuto looked amused.

"That's all you have to say about yourself?"

"If you're really interested in me, then you'll figure out the rest, won't you? But there's no point in telling someone about myself if they don't care." Amu said, smiling.

"Then I'll have to say that I'm _very_ interested," Ikuto replied, smirking. Turning to the Queen, he said, "Mother, I've decided that I shall marry Princess Amu Hinamori."

Hiding a squeal, Souko turned to the pink-haired princess.

"Princess Amu Hinamori, do you agree?"

"I'd rather I get proposed to traditionally, rather than having someone else ask me to marry someone…"

Amused, Ikuto turned to his mother, who handed him a small box.

Coming down from his seat, he stood in front of Amu and then sank to one knee.

"Since the first day I saw you, you intrigued me. And as I saw more of you, I began to love you. Princess Amu Hinamori, will you marry me?"

Giggling, the girl held out her hand.

"I will."

He slid the ring on her finger and stood again, gazing into her eyes until Midori coughed.

"Ahem. Well, let us old people discuss the marriage and the past. Why don't you take Amu around the castle or something?"

Mischief dancing in the prince's eyes, he held the golden-eyed princess's hand and led her out the door.

The kings and queens smiled, and Midori and Souko looked at each other and said, "Don't they make just the _cutest_ couple?"

"They might rival us," Tsumugu and Aruto said, as they both hugged their wives.

-

-

-

"Hmmm. Now I'm actually in your room with an invitation," Amu said, sitting on the bed. "…hard to believe we're going to be married…"

The prince looked at her and sat down next to her.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a princess?"

"Well…never really thought of it, truthfully. What am I supposed to say, 'Hey, by the way, I'm a princess from the Humpty Kingdom working as a thief to help fix up your kingdom?'"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…What? Why are you staring at me?" Amu said, self conscious.

"Well, I was just thinking…" Ikuto said, "The man I buy taiyaki from…when he told me about you, he said you'd never been caught…"

"…"

Ikuto hugged her.

"Caught you."

Amu laughed.

"Damn, you just ruined my reputation."

"It's okay, you retired as a thief anyway…"

The pink-haired girl fell backwards, Ikuto still hugging her.

He nibbled her ear, and she squealed.

"Hey, hey, I'm still too young for that, you know!"

"For what? You're such a dirty-minded pervert…"

"Grrr!"

And Yoru flicked off the lights, meowing as he floated into his egg to sleep.

-

-

-

_And thus ends our game…_

_Of Cat and Mouse._

_-_

_-_

_-_

"Hey, hey…we were basically ignored…" Ran sighed, sitting outside on the balcony.

"I wonder what they're doing in there?" Suu said, trying to peer through the curtains.

"Make out session?" Dia suggested.

"Eeek! How mature, desu!" Suu gasped, hiding her eyes.

"Hey, what are you drawing?" Ran asked, peering over Miki's shoulder.

"Amu and Ikuto's future child…" the blue spade chara replied, coloring in the eyes.

"Wow…he's gorgeous. Or she." Dia said, "The sparkle is going to be blinding."

"…You think we'll still be around when their child is born?" Ran asked a little sadly.

"…I hope so…but even if we're not…we've served our purpose, and we'll still remain in her heart." Miki replied, a little sadly as well.

"Mmm…but we haven't disappeared yet, so let's be useful and play around to out heart's content!" Ran cheered.

Her sisters smiled.

-

-

-

**Writer's End Notes: **Ehhh, I was kinda scared that the last chapter would be too short, but I worried for nothing. :3

The ending chapter kinda flowed out. Pretty fun to write. :3

A few notes: This section- _"Mama…" Amu said uncertainly, "…Do you really think this will work out? It's been so long…"  
A noise sounded from downstairs, Tsumugu tripping over something.  
"…angry?"_

The full sentence was "Mama…do you really think this will work out? It's been so long…don't you think Ikuto would be angry?"

But I couldn't write that or it would give it away, and even if I wrote 'he' I'm pretty sure you would know who I was talking about, so I had Tsumugu trip of something with a loud noise which blocked out part of Amu's sentence. Just to clear things up, if anyone didn't get that. O:

I barely had any of Amu's charas talk or play a part so they get their own little section.

I kinda messed up the middle where Tsumugu is like "How do you know she isn't royalty" and all that with Ikuto…but I wasn't sure how to rewrite it so I left it there. xP Sorry. =x

So yeah, thus ends the game of cat and mouse. :3

Thanks for reading!


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